


A Lost Spirit

by perach



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, How Do I Tag, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Iron Man 1, Kid Peter Parker, Marvel's Timeline is Fucked, Not Canon Compliant, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Peter Parker is a dork, Peter's younger in this one, Pre-Iron Man 1, Precious Peter Parker, Scripture References, Timeline What Timeline, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark is Good With Kids, i dont know what to add that isnt a peter pepper or tony tag, i will tag as i go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-10-23 14:21:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17685107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perach/pseuds/perach
Summary: Peter's parents shouldn't have died. Peter's uncle shouldn't have died in a heart attack. Tony shouldn't have been so reckless in his younger years. Mary should have told Tony about Peter sooner. Let Tony be involved in the boy's life. But now, Peter was thrown into his arms after the amount of death a person should go through in a lifetime, not as a little kid. Tony's going to learn how to do this parenting thing right. He's gonna be there for his kid. He won't die either. Tony will raise Peter himself.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Sins of the Fathers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15049538) by [geekymoviemom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/geekymoviemom/pseuds/geekymoviemom). 



> hi, welcome! after rewrites and rewrites, i finally finished the first chapter!
> 
> THIS IS SET PRE-IM1 & PRE-MCU  
> LOOSELY INSPIRED BY SINS OF THE FATHERS BY GEEKYMOVIEMOM

Tony woke up after a recent party at noon (like usual), tired as fuck. Getting dressed, he went down to the lab to design more stuff for Rhodey's arm of the military. "Sir, your phone has been going off for twenty minutes," JARVIS announced.

"What now?" Tony looked up.

"Your lawyers and Obidiah Stane."

"Yeah, yeah, all right, pick up the lawyers and forward it. Whatever you gotta do, JAR."

"Mr. Stark?" A woman's voice asked. "I'm Karen, from Queen's social services."

"Queen's social services?" Why the fuck would social services call _him_? What did he do now? Not his usual antics, he hoped. "Uh, yep, speak to me."

"It's urgent. Too much to say over the phone. We'd like you to come to meet us." _Urgent_? What does 'urgent' mean? They just really want you to come, or someone's dead? It was always one or the other, no in between.

"Yeah, I'll see if I'm free."

"You are," Pepper said, coming in. "The jet's waiting for you, too. I've been, as you'd want me to say, debriefed."

"Wow, okay... wow. Well, I'm on my way, then." Tony got up. "Let's go pack our bags." The call ended and the two walked upstairs, Tony hazily tossing clothes into a bag. How long was he going to be in Queens? God, he hoped not too long. He'd heard it was shit there. Tony packed his StarkPad to do some work on the plane, knowing Pepper would like him to. And Obie. He always was working working working. Being CEO was a lot more work than Tony originally thought when he finally decided to be at the ripe age of 21. Obie had wanted him to be CEO fresh out of 18, but Tony wanted to explore the world and live a little bit. The thinking was getting to Tony. "God, I hope they have alcohol on that damned plane."

"You shouldn't drink."

"What? Why not?"

"Social services." Pepper wasn't telling him something. He goddamn knew it.

"I gave a lecture in Bern the other day wasted out of my mind, Queens is nothing for me. Where is Queens, anyway?"

"Manhattan. You've been there."

"Ah. Well, guess what." He smirked at her, going into the garage.

"I don't want to guess-"

"Race ya," Tony smirked and got into the car, bolting it to the airport.

 

* * *

 

 

Tony walked up to the building. He'd almost been mauled by several homeless people begging for cash. It was shitty, but it was Queens. And social services. Homeless people ran New York, at least at night. He walked inside, a woman standing in front of a door. The lobby looked decent, at least. A shag carpet might make it look a little better. Just a little. It was dark and obviously not very well funded. On the brink of old and run down, that is.

"You must be Mr. Stark." A voice hummed. He turned to see a black-haired woman in surprisingly nice clothes with a nametag and everything. She looked very out of place, but maybe it was better inside. It wasn't like the walls were coming in on the building, anyway.

"I must be." Tony flashed his charming smirk.

"We would like to speak to you in private." She nodded towards his lovely assistant. It dawned on Tony. Ah! _Kathy_! He knew the voice sounded familiar!

"No, no, Pep comes with me everywhere." Or was her name Kacee?

"He can't tie his shoes without me." Pepper laughed. The worker smiled and nodded in the fake adult way, and the three stepped into a smaller room.

"Tony, do you remember meeting a Mary Parker in December of 2000? You mentioned she had the most beautiful eyes you'd ever seen."

"I, uh, faintly." He tried to remember that. It was Christmas time, his favorite time of the year. Christmas and New Years, it was like being drunk for a month straight. Well, it apparently had a bad part since he couldn't remember what happened in the said month if someone paid him. Although, Tony didn't need the money.

"She wanted you to read this." She handed him a letter. It was worn in his hands, obviously old. Or maybe just exposed to the elements. Or both. Probably both. But it was from 2000, it can't be too old.

 

_Dear Tony,_   
_If you're reading this, then I'm dead. I'm going on a risky mission with my husband, one that I most likely won't ever come back from. I'm a CIA agent if you forgot. You never seemed interested in learning about me that much. That's okay, you're you. Anyway, we met at your party in December. We had sex, and I got pregnant. I kept the baby, of course. My husband thinks it's his. We were going through troubles at the time._   
_I never want to send this letter. But if I am, it means Peter's going into your care. If you're reading this later than 2005, then, hell, something's happened to my brother in law. We left Peter in care with Richard's, my husband, brother, and his wife. Benjamin Parker._   
_I'm sorry I never told you. But he's so much like you. He's so smart. He's so charming, I must add._   
_His name is Peter Benjamin Parker, named after Richard's brother. Richard picked it out._   
_Please take care of him well. I love him with all my heart._   
_~Mary <3_

 

"There was also a locket." She held out a gold necklace. It was kept in nice shape, as it was shined and looked like it was just taken out of the box very gently. It was a teardrop-shaped locket and inside was wedding photos in black-and-white. It looked like they came out of a newspaper, to be honest. Mary, of course. She was as beautiful as ever. "He's biologically yours."

"What?!" Tony snapped, coming back to focus.

"We did a DNA test to make sure."

"You've done the DNA test?!" Tony snapped. He frankly didn't know how to feel. Someone he.. had made love with, was now dead. He did remember her. Something about her was different. She didn't text him the day after like all the others did. She didn't try to stay in contact. She was so lovely and kind just talking to her, he loved learning more about her. And.. for a few moments that night, he thought she'd stay. Tony now wished that she did.

"We've had your details in the system. You requested them back a few years ago after a health scare."

Tony picked at his lip. "I want to meet him."

"Of course. He's been here for about three weeks or so now."

" _Three weeks_?!" His son had been out in the world for four years, which was hard to bare- but now he'd been stuck in this, to put it kindly, shithole for a month?!

"It's hard to get you in contact." Karen shrugged nonchalantly.

"So- so what about her brother- his uncle? Benjamin?!"

"He died of an unsurvivable heart attack a month ago. The neighbors heard Peter screaming and called an ambulance." Goddammit, Peter saw that?! God, that sounds... awful.

"God..." Tony hissed. "Pep, paperwork. I want to meet him. He deserves a good father figure." Well, as good as Tony can give him.

"Of course." She stood up and lead Tony into the lobby again and up a flight of stairs. "He's in the third room down on the left."

Tony walked in. There was a scrawny boy sitting on the couch, building an impressive LEGO set.

The note was right. Just looking at him, Tony knew that Peter was his creation. Peter had brown curls that seemed untamable. The big brown eyes were so full of imagination, creativity, and liveliness. He had a round face but he seemed small. He was in blue jeans and a Batman sweatshirt that looked too big for him, falling over his hands when he let go of the building bricks. "Are you Paul?"

" _Paul_?" Tony asked, shutting the door gently. Next to the boy was a Stormtrooper plush that Peter squeezed to his chest when the door shut.

"Ms. nice Karen said she's dating a Paul and he's very handsome."

"No, no, flattered, but I'm... Tony Stark."

"Am I gonna live with you now?" He suddenly looked very upset, his face contorting like he was going to wail.

"Wuh-" _God, don't cry, don't cry-_

"I promise I'll be good! Please don't kick me out!" Peter cried. "I promise! I won't cry anymore!"

"Hey, hey, no, you're not being kicked out. I'm just- I'm Tony. Can I, erm, play LEGOs with you for a while?"

Peter sniffled and nodded. The two built with the toys in silence. Lifting up a brick, Tony studied it. Why did kids love these so much? The hell? These were just cheap plastic one could crush in their fist, right? That's stupid. Peter spoke after a few minutes. "Who are you?"

"Tony."

"Mm. Where's my Benny?"

" _Benny_?"

"Uncle Ben says he doesn't like it when I call him Uncle, so we said Benny now. He says it makes him sound old."

"You miss him?"

"Yeah, I love him a lot. He fell down and I haven't seen him since."

"You miss your mom, too?"

"Yeah, and my daddy. They went away and the nice lady says the plane fell out of the sky." He sniffled. Okay, note to self, don't talk about Peter's parents. It makes him emotional. Tony hastily tried to change the subject.

"So, school." Tony tried to not make the poor boy cry again.

That set Peter on to ramble about school and making new friends and his excitement to learn more things. He asked a lot of questions, Karen told him apparently. He seemed ecstatic to not have to ask all the adults and 'bother them'. The two connected over rambling about space.

"An' I wanna visit it one day. See if I can help aliens." Was a direct quote.

Tony just... loved this boy. This was his son. He created this kid. After about an hour or so, Karen came back in. "You can take him home now. We'll come by in a week or so to do a home checkup every week, and then every few weeks for a while." Wow, that fast?

"We'll most likely be in a hotel tonight. It's getting late." Pepper answered for him. "It's almost eight." Peter proved her right by letting out a yawn. "I've signed paperwork, all I need you to do is say the word. Takin him into your custody, that is."

"Pepper." He stood up, getting closer and lowering his voice. "He's my son. I see it in his eyes. Sign it. Whatever you need to do."

"Mr. Tony sir?" Peter asked, hugging his Stormtrooper. "Am I goin' somewhere?"

"You're gonna come live with me, buddy. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Mm'okay."

"Let's get going." Tony signed the last thing and he held out his hand for Peter. He took his small hand in his and walked him to the car. Peter lagged behind a little but was determined to keep up. Tony lifted him and set him in the car.

"Tony, he needs a car seat. He's a child."

"Happy won't crash."

"You drove here." She said it more like a question in confusion. Happy had been waiting in the backseat.

"He's driving," Tony demanded and got inside. Due to the lack of car-seat, Pepper blatantly placed the child in Tony's lap and buckled the two in, plush under Peter's arm. Peter was drifting off, his head against Tony's chest. His curls spilled over his shirt and it had to be the cutest sight. Pepper seemed very good at taking care of children. She handed him her phone and turned on some annoyingly bright cartoon. How did kids enjoy this, too? God.

They arrived at the nearest nice hotel and Peter looked like he was going to fall asleep. Tony lifted him and brought him inside himself. "Pepper, order clothes for him. Toys to Malibu, too. Kid, what do you like?"

"Star Wars! My daddy loves Star Wars!"

"You've seen the movies?" Tony looked at him weirdly. How did this kid like such saturated cartoons  _and_ those types of movies? Maybe Tony hadn't seen one in a while.

"Yeah!" Peter seemed more awake now. Singing as the four walked inside, they ordered a penthouse room. Happy got his own room and Pepper seemed fine staying with the two.

Peter ran into the room and gasped. "This place is bigger than Benny's whole apartment!"

"Peter, would you like a bath?" Pepper offered. "Tony can order your clothes while I give you one."

"Yes please!" Peter chirped, nestling the plush into the bed. The two went back to the bathroom and Tony just smiled to himself. Grabbing his laptop, he sat at the desk and ordered clothes and such. He called room service to get pancakes in the morning and ordered a pizza for dinner. He needed pajamas tonight, so he asked for those, too. Tony looked around the place and tried to child-proof it. God, he'd need someone to child-proof his own home. Obie was gonna flip when he finds out. "MR. TONY!" Peter squeaked, running out in his pajamas.

"Hey, kiddo. I got your pizza."

"Really?! Is it my birthday?"

"No, just a special occasion."

"Mm! Benny says he can't afford pizza." Peter spoke with a full mouth. Pepper wiped his face with a wadded up napkin. "Says it's too 'spensive." Peter spat when he said that, even without the pizza in his mouth. Tony'd bet that his front teeth were coming loose. Or not? How do kids work?

"Not for Tony." Pepper shook her head. The rest of the night was easy. Peter went to bed fairly easy after about forty-five minutes of loud cartoons that made Tony tired, hugging the stuffy and falling asleep. Tony tucked him in and collapsed onto the couch. "God. Obie's gonna be so pissed."

"I don't know what he was expecting."

"Hardy har har."

"You do know this is important, right? A lot of stuff is gonna change. For the rest of your life- more importantly, the next ten or so years- he's your full responsibility. This isn't something you can get bored of and throw out."

"I know, Pep."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"You have to get your life on track," Pepper noted as Tony got up and poured coffee.

"I have it on track."

"You're about to drink straight black coffee at-" She checked her watch. "Ten twenty-two at night."

"...This is why I have you." He poured it straight down the drain.

"This is why you have me. We're leaving at noon, so if you want to have the energy to watch a child, I suggest you go to sleep as well."

"Okay, okay. I'm going. See? I'm going."

"I see you." She shook her head with a small, thin grin.

"You see me. Good." Tony went in and fell onto one of the beds next to Peter. There was another room just for Pep, while the two got the bigger one. The two drifted off to sleep easily.

 

* * *

 

 

Tony's sleep was kindly interrupted with sniffling and tears. He looked up and around to see the kitchen light on and Peter nowhere to be found. Tony leaped out of bed, looking for him. Peter was sitting with his knees to his chest in front of the fridge, hugging his Stormtrooper. "Hey, hey, buddy," Tony rubbed his eyes tiredly and put on a single lamplight. "What're you doing?"

"I h-had a bad dream and I wanted to get some w-water but I can't reach."

"I got it." Tony poured the glass and handed it to him. Peter drank it and brought him back to bed, laying him down and Tony laying next to him. "What was your bad dream about?"

"M-My mama and dad fell out of the sky a-and Benny falling. I miss him so much. Mama and dad used to fight a lot."

"You don't like yelling?"

"No, it's scary.."

"Okay, that's okay. Get some sleep, kiddo."

Little did Tony know, Pepper had been up for a business call and had just gotten the best picture of the two together, asleep, not too long after.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of firsts and Obie finds out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope yall enjoy, leave a comment if ya do

Tony was up and at 'em early. Ready to get out of the stuffy hotel room, he packed and made sure all his orders had arrived way before Peter even stirred. Besides the hiccup last night, he was fine. Tony was mostly worried that Peter would continue to have nightmares, to be honest. It was scary to wake up to have basically lost your son in a big ass penthouse and thinking 'did I forget to lock the door?' 

Peter gripped his stormtrooper to his chest as he rubbed his eyes, sitting up. Pepper smiled at the two. She'd been doing a lot of that lately. Peter hopped up. "Where we goin', Mr. Tony? We goin' on vacation?" 

"No, Petey, we're heading back to my house."

"You don't live here?" Peter looked around, still starstruck at the size of it all.

"I live somewhere way bigger than this place."

"Really?! How big?"

"Pretty big." That's what she said. "You get your very own room."

Peter gasped and squealed, jumping up in down in joy. "Where is it?"

"California."

"But-" He frowned. "M-My house? How far is California?"

"I can have someone stop by-"

"I wanna get my stuff!" 

"Of course, don't get upset." Tony really didn't want a repeat of seeing him cry. "Let's get you dressed."

Peter's clothes had been washed so he just wore those, not seeming like he cared about it anyway, and bounced around in his sneakers until Tony and Pepper were ready. He quacked like a duck sometimes. It always made Pepper laugh. They got ready to go and Happy drove, Peter in a newly bought car-seat that was very very protecting. They pulled up at the apartment and Tony lifted Peter out, carrying him inside. He was light as hell. Peter directed them to their room, but it was already marked on Tony's phone. But Peter very much wanted to show everyone where his house was. Tony took a step into it. Definitely working class. 

Peter squealed and ran into his room. 

It had two bunk-beds with bright colored sheets. and looked small. It had a low desk with crayons all over it. A typical 4-year-old's room, to be honest. Tony set a box down and a duffel bag. "Clean up everything you wanna keep, put your favorites in the bag, clothes in the box." He set another box down labeled CLOTHES. Could Peter read? Maybe. Maybe not.

"Wuh?" Peter asked. Tony sighed and picked up a toy. A pink bear. "Favorite?"

"Nuh-uh."

Tony reached for a cartoon train shirt. "Favorite?"

 

* * *

 

 

Approaching the airport Peter let out a whine. They were going towards the plane and Peter stopped walking with Tony. He turned. "What's wrong?"  
"I-I don't wanna go on." His tiny shoes inched back.

"Why not?"

"It don't- it might fall out of the sky!" Peter held the Stormtrooper to his upper chest.

"Peter-"

"I don't wanna fall! Mama did! I don't wanna fall!" Peter burst into tears, crying. Tony hated seeing him cry for two reasons. First, he was upset, obviously. Second, Tony wasn't 100% sure what to do. He was still new to this whole parenting thing and he wasn't the brightest of dads. He may be a billionaire playboy genius, but 'father figure' isn't on that list.

"You won't fall, kiddo." Tony felt like an asshole. Of course, Peter would be afraid of planes, why put him on a private jet with no pilot for six hours? 

"It'll fall out of the sky! It will, Mr. Tony!" Peter cried. Fat tears ran down his cheeks. "I don't want it to fall! Please!"

Tony wiped his tears with the pad of his thumbs, cupping the young boys face. Crumbling to sobs Tony hugged him. He put his bag on his shoulder. "I'll keep you safe, Peter. I'll keep you close to me, okay? We won't fall."

"We're gonna fall." He whispered.

"No, we won't. Trust me, okay?" Tony lifted Peter and walked him inside, Pepper mouthing 'are you okay'? Tony mouthed that he'd tell her later. Tony sat the boy on the couch with a blanket next to him and his backpack and Peter hugged his stormtrooper close to him as if it'd dissipate right out of his small fists.

Tony sat on the opposite end of the L-shaped couch, on his phone. He glanced at Peter, who was just staring at his feet.  "You okay, Pete?" Which barely earned a hum from the pupil. He hiccuped occasionally, calming down from his outburst. Pepper was at the table across from the two, glancing over at him often and she kept mouthing to Tony 'what?'. Tony got up and sat next to her, lowering his voice to a whisper. "He's afraid of planes."

"Of course he is, Tony!" She gasped, realizing the fact.

"Yeah, I know, I'm an..." He glanced at him. "A-S-S-H-O-L-E... of a parent. But I don't know what to do! I've just barely memorized my debit card number!"

"You love using it-"

"That's beside the point!"

"Just..." She sighed. "Go sit with your son."

Your son. That was quite a term if you asked Tony.

Peter hadn't closed his eyes the rest of the six-hour flight, which Tony was worried about. Didn't kids nap? At some points, Peter looked really tired but he snapped himself out of it. But, nonetheless, they landed in Cali. The adult lifted Peter out of the seat to get out of the plane. Peter rested his arms on Tony's shoulders and looked as if he'd fall asleep. Which he was pretty damn close, yawning and his eyes struggling to keep open.

"Are you my daddy?" Peter asked suddenly. Tony didn't know what to say. The truth? Lie? Was he too young to know the truth? Would Peter hate him in his older years if he didn't tell him? He knew someday all this stuff would blow away and Peter would barely remember his parent's death along with his uncle's, but shit... it mattered now, didn't it? 

The truth was never in Tony's favor, but one time couldn't hurt, right? He definitely owed it to him.

"Yeah, kid. I am."

"Mm." And Peter seemed to drift off.

They got to the house and Peter gasped. It was around dinnertime and he knew he'd have to make actual food. Peter was put on his feet and he ran inside. "Where's my room, Mr. Tony?" He bounced.

"Upstairs. I'll take you." Tony held his hand and lead him up the stairs, Peter observing the waterfall with glee.

The room, although out of place, bigger than an average kid's room. It had Star-Wars posters, a Batman and Robin poster, and it was neatly organized. He had a bunk-bed like at home, the bottom bunk spread out and bigger than the one on top, a bathroom that was child-proofed to hell, his closet, and just a big fun carpet. Peter looked around in awe, but mostly disbelief. "This is all mine?"

"All yours."

"B-But what about when I go back home?"

Fuck. Kneeling down, Tony put a hand on Peter's shoulder. "You're gonna live here now, okay buddy?"

"Why? Where's Benny?"

"He's with your parents."

"Oh. Is it true that you're my dad?" Peter asked nonchalantly, hugging his Stormtrooper. This kid was gonna turn Tony's hair gray.

"Yeah, kiddo." He got up.

"Where are you going?!" Peter squeaked when Tony turned to leave.

"I'm... going down to my workshop?" The little boy followed and stood by his side. Tony shook his head and walked with him. Tony sighed. He walked down to the workshop and lifted Peter, sitting him in the kitchen. "DUM-E."

"Dummy?" Peter asked as the robot shuffled over with a poetic squeak. 

"You two have fun." Tony went over to his project, an old car. He started working on it, humming.

He'd need new tools soon, these ones seemed like cheap crap. The car might be unsalvagable. It was so damn old. But he was a Stark, dammit. He could fix it. Maybe just buy a new one. It's not like he'd be short.

Would Peter's last name be Stark or something like Parker-Stark? Richard wasn't Peter's biological dad, and technically-

"Tony, what's wrong with you?!" Pepper almost screamed. Tony whipped around to see Peter in Pepper's arms, not a goddamn scratch on him. "He can't be down here!"

"Why not?"

"There are knives! He could hurt himself or worse! Have you never raised a ch-" She sharply inhaled. "Don't answer that. Let's go make dinner."

"I'll make it!" Tony piped and walked upstairs. Peter squeaked and followed, sitting on the couch and put on the TV. Tony reheated chicken nuggets and cut up an apple for Peter, just making himself an omelet. Peter ate the nuggets, bouncing up and down on the floor.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, Tony working on paperwork while Peter ran around the living room. Peter changed into his pajamas and Tony lied him down. Peter hugged Tony's arm. "Stay."

Tony shook his head, grinning. He sat next to him and waited until Peter fell asleep. Peter snuggled into Tony's chest, his ironclad way of laying not letting Tony get up. All right, kid. You win this round.

 

* * *

  
Sunlight leaked through the colorful curtains. "Tonyyy!" Obie called. "Tones, where are you?!"

"Fuck." Tony hissed. He lied Peter down, hugging his stormtrooper and went out into the hall, closing the door very gently.

"What the hell's in there that you gotta tiptoe?" Obadiah laughed.

"Can we talk somewhere else?"

"What? It's your house. I can scream if I want."

"Shhh."

"Ah, it's a woman, huh?" The two walked downstairs.

"Erm... no, not really. I was called down to Queens, and... apparently I have a son."

"You have a goddamn son?! A child?!" Obidiah roared, infuriated.

"Shhh! Yes, apparently!"

"What the hell?!"

"He's four, his name is Peter, and-"

"What the hell, Tony?! You have to get rid of him!"

"What does that mean?!"

"Adoption- something! Anything! You can't have a fucking son! You're a CEO!"

"I can do what I want!"

"No, you can't have a son! He'll ruin your fucking future! That brat's just gonna scream for fourteen years and your life will be ruined!"

"He's not a brat!"

"He's gonna ruin your fucking life!! Get fucking rid of him!" Obadiah screamed, getting out. Little footsteps ran down the hall. Fuck. Fuck. Tony dashed up the stairs. Peter ran back into his room. Goddammit.

Tony started making waffles, letting Peter come down when he's ready. He eventually peeked in. "Hey, kiddo."

"Mr. Tony, who was that?" He whined, coming in. Tony sat him at the table and put waffles in front of him. 

"My dad's friend, Obadiah."

"Why was he so mad?"

"He didn't know something."

"Is that lying?"

"No, Pete."

"Mm!"

 

* * *

 

 

When Peter turned 5, he started school. The boy was jubilant every day, and he was passing with flying colors. His teachers noticed this and mentioned he should possibly be put into the next grade, but Tony shut that down fast. He didn't want him to go to college early as he did. That was... hell.  
One day on the last day of the school year of kindergarten, they had graduated. Tony went in sunglasses on in a nice suit to attend the assembly. Peter went up, got his little certificate. He ran off the risers and across the gym of all the kids sitting on the floor to Tony, hugging him. He seemed so happy. "Look at my paper, dad!"  
Peter had yet to call Tony 'dad'. It was always, always 'Mr. Tony'. Tony grinned brightly. That was first.

Peter and Tony were closer, and Peter finally saw him as his father. Peter definitely had separation anxiety, but he handled it fine. He never had anything below 90%. He worked hard, but then again, they colored in shapes all day. 

Obadiah seemed to hate the kid, just telling him to piss off whenever he was there. He didn't mention it to Tony much, though. Pepper and Peter basically became best friends. She loved watching him and he adored her. 

The next few years were better, and after someone had leaked the two at the graduation Tony held out a press conference.

"So, there are rumors I have a kid-"

"Rumors? He called you 'dad'!" One journalist shouted. Goddammit.

"Yeah, but- I'm just not the best dad character. I'm reckless... but.. I guess I'm getting better at it. His name is Peter, and he's six now. His mother passed away a few years ago." Tony summarized it before he went into details. God, Obidiah was gonna lose it.

When Peter was seven, Tony was kidnapped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the time jumps and the cliffhanger ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Peter was seven, Tony was kidnapped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!! wow!! thank you for reading this far!! it means the world to me. sorry for taking so long between chapters. trying to reach 2,000 words kicks my butt :(

Peter came home from school one day. Dad had promised him he'd be home before Peter was. "Dad?" He yelled. No response. "Daaad? Pepper?" Hell, he'd even take _Obidiah_. "Obie?"

Peter looked throughout the entire house. After finding nothing, his stomach knotted. His dad promised that he'd be home. He was _always_ there on time. Peter went up to his room and worked on his LEGO set, waiting for someone. 

It had felt like an hour until Peter got worried. Standing up, he searched the house once against. It felt so silent in the big Malibu house. He turned on the TV, mostly the news. It was normal news politic stuff that Peter didn't didn't wanna hear until a very scary headline interrupted everything. And he meant everything.

 

> _'TONY STARK MIA IN BOMB ATTACK'._   
>  _Tony Stark's recent visit to the U.S. military recruits to test the JERICHO missile in Afghanistan took a dark turn when there was a bombing. Some believe that it was the JERICHO missile misfired or something of a third party, but Tony Stark's body has not been found. It has not been confirmed nor denied that he is alive. The U.S. military is searching nearby villages for the lost CEO._

 

Peter's chest tightened. Anything the news said after that might as well be in a different language because Peter didn't listen to a word of it. His dad was gone. Peter didn't know what to say. He got up and ran to his room, searching through it. Everything sounded like he was underwater. Peter was near tears, trying to search his bedroom.

You see, Peter had let go of the Stormtrooper years ago. When he first lost his uncle and aunt, he was scared. He didn't know exactly what was going on all the time, and he was so worried he'd be shipped off one day. Nighttime was awful and he'd always have nightmares about the Expo, which Tony found out about one night and then promised Peter if he ever had another that he should go to Tony. Which he did, and eventually they stopped. But that didn't mean he didn't miss his aunt and uncle. Sometimes he just wanted to bawl over it, but didn't, because he knew JARVIS was a snitch. Around his sixth birthday, he stopped bringing the toy almost everywhere he went. He just kept it in his bed, and then to his nightstand, and then to his closet. Tony and Peter were closer, obviously, but he still missed his parents and aunt and uncle.

But Peter finally felt the material and he grabbed it, hugging it to his chest. Hyperventilating, Peter felt hot tears ran down his face. Peter wanted to scream. MIA. He couldn't lose another parent. Tony promised he wouldn't leave. Tony promised! Was this some sick joke? Was Peter dreaming? He needed to find his dad. His dad was smart, he would get out, right? His dad was smart. He'd get free, Peter knew it. He knew it.

"Peter?" There was a yell. It was Pepper, maybe? Peter hoped it was. Peter got to his feet and stumbled downstairs, Pepper's expression softening when she saw the boy. He did have tears rushing down his face out of worry and just pain and he had the toy he hadn't touched in almost a year or so. Peter hugged her and bawled, Pepper soothed his back. Peter didn't know how long he sat there, just crying into her. He definitely ruined her outfit with tears, which made Peter feel guilty. She sat down with Peter close to her as the boy cried. He didn't cry often, mostly because he didn't want to be a bother to everyone. But this hurt. His heart hurt. His dad was gone, wasn't he? Was he ever going to see Tony again?

Trying to distract him, Pepper spoke up. "Hey, do you wanna go to the office with me? It'll be better than this big old house."

  
Peter really didn't. But he shrugged, not wanting her to leave him. She got to her feet, helping him up. She put a jacket on him and let him keep his stormtrooper as he walked, sniffling. They climbed into Happy's car and he leaned on her, hugging her tight. She didn't let go of him and Peter silently let small tears escape his eyes. Peter kept sniffling, the paragraph about his dad replaying in his head. Happy didn't speak, his shoulders tense. Peter didn't let go of her, sniffling and whimpering. 

They pulled up at the big glass building and Peter walked in with her, clinging close. Nobody commented on Peter's expression- everyone knew by now. But the stares dug into Peter like a knife to flesh. It hadn't been long since the news, but it spreads fast. Especially when it's a famous CEO. Peter followed Pepper, wiping his eyes so much that the sides felt raw. 

Pepper's office was nicer than most the others, almost the same as Tony's. She had awards, some of Tony's old things, and lots of feminism posters. Peter remembered the first time he'd visited. He ran around while Tony had to work, reading all the posters out loud and getting really excited over all the awards. He respected Pepper so much. Most news outlets read her as some random woman that did whatever Tony did, but she was so independent. Peter told her this often. Peter adored her and everyone knew it. But he was just quiet now, looking around. Her desk was very organized, but Tony's was usually messy. Pepper had taught the younger Stark to bully his father for it- which he did sometimes.

Peter sat near the couches, laying down and hugging his stormtrooper. Peter just wanted to cry or something. The door opened and Obidiah was standing there, and Peter immediately scrambled to behind the couch where he couldn't see him.

"Is that the kid?" He asked gruffly.

"Yes, _Obidiah_." Her voice dripped with venom. "What do you need?"

"The intern interviews."

"Here." She handed him a file. The two's stares were so Adult and Violent. When he left Peter hid behind Pepper's desk, and she sat back down. "Does he scare you?"

"Sometimes. He doesn't like it when I'm around, I make him mad I think. I try not to, I promise-"

"He just gets upset with everyone."

Peter bit back an apology. He went over to the window, watching out it. He hugged his toy, upset. "Is my dad gonna be okay?"

"They'll find him, I promise, Peter."

Peter shrugged, wiping his face. He tried not to cry again. "I miss him. I just- I want them to find him." He whimpered.

"I know."

"I just want him to be okay. I- what if they don't find him?" Peter looked up at Pepper with his quivering lip. "I-I can't lose another dad." He whined, hugging his toy tight. "They- they have to find him." Pepper didn't want to upset him further but there wasn't much to say.

"Your dad has a military friend named James, but your dad calls him Rhodey." _Rhodey_. Peter knew he'd heard that name before in passing conversation. "He'll find him. He's searching now. When he's got some free time, do you want to meet him?" Peter shrugged again. "He's been to the house, you know. Pretty often."

Peter shrugged for what seemed like the millionth time and the two sat in silence for a while. Peter leaned back against the desk, rubbing his thumbs across the old material. Peter let small tears drip into it and he wiped his eyes, trying to not let the businesswoman see. He didn't want to worry her. 

Pepper worked for a few hours and Peter dug through the desks and found his coloring book and found his crayons. He colored for a little bit, not finding much motivation. He tapped the wax against his paper, glancing at the stormtrooper. 

"Are you ready to go?" Pepper asked. The sun had set by then and the two cleaned up, Peter looking down to his sneakers. Tony had bought him new ones but he really wanted to keep the ones Ben got him. They were old white ones with dirt baked onto them but he loved them. He never had them tied. Ever. He hated how tight they were, to be honest. Tony always tied the new ones for him and whenever he did it was perfect. Not too tight, and not too loose. 

He held Pepper's hand tight- well, as tight as a small 7-year-old could -and the two walked out. Pepper clocked out which was always the most boring part of leaving because you had to actually stop your way to leave, and Peter vocalized this regularly, mostly because Pepper and Tony would be stopped as they left and it would take ten minutes longer.

Happy drove them, Pepper and the driver having the small talk that Peter wanted to be left out of more than anything. "-Want for dinner? Peter?" Which made him come back to focus. "What do you want for dinner?"

  
Peter just shrugged. He'd done a lot of that lately. So much that it seemed like his head would fall off those wobbly shoulders. Peter had always been a skinny kid and Tony stopped commenting on it to Peter's face, since the last time he did it made him upset. They pulled up at the mansion and Peter got out, trying to shrink into the floor. The two walked inside and Peter didn't look up. He nestled into the dining room chair, watching the TV to the side until Pepper set mac-n-cheese in front of him.

"Thank you." He tried to be appreciative, but his heart and stomach were just so heavy. 

"They'll find your dad, Peter, I promise."

Peter nodded. Finishing the food, he put the bowl on the sink. Peter climbed onto the couch and Pepper put on _Star Trek_ , which Peter was too tired to correct her. He just closed his eyes, almost falling asleep. At around that night, Pepper shook his shoulder gently. "Let's get you in bed."

Peter trudged upstairs, changing into shorts that were too big for him and an old t-shirt. Peter climbed into bed, knowing he'd have a bad night.

Tony Stark was dead to the media. But not to Peter. He refused to let his dad be missing. His dad was strong and smart and he promised he wouldn't ever leave Peter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yell at me in the comments or on my socials  
> tony comes back next chapter i promise dont get mad at me pls  
> posted w/o preview


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony comes back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not a big fan of this chapter ;-;

The three months, in a summary, were hell.

  
Sleep had been hell. After that day, when the media basically pronounced his father dead, Peter was a wreck. Of course, he was! His dad was missing or worse! Every night he woke up in a pool of sweat and screaming bloody murder. Nightmares about the Expo, his parents not coming back, and sometimes just fights he overheard of his dad on the phone.

  
School had been hell, too. After about a month, Peter had been sent back. Kids and teachers stared alike, but nobody asked why he didn't want to talk to a lot of people. He was nervous and scared all the time. He had developed some sort of anxiety that was usually gnawing at his brain, but lately, it had been worse. What if his dad was already dead and he just didn't know? Was he gonna jump out of a closet and yell 'surprise!'? What if he was dying, and they found him too late? Was he hurt? 

Tony was a lot of things, and Peter probably didn't know half of it. He just wanted to know for sure that his dad was safe. He wanted to feel his hand in Peter's. Know he was real and wasn't ever leaving again. Peter missed him so much. He'd been thrown home to home, and when he first met Tony, he thought he wouldn't grow on him. But he did. Peter adored Tony and wanted to grow up just like he did. So when they found him, it was a whirlwind. 

The day was as normal as it could get. They had done what second-graders do. Peter didn't talk to anyone and his teacher tried to get him to interact with his classmates at recess but it eventually failed miserably. It was when they returned to the classroom after lunch when the phone rang. Peter knew it was about him since the teacher wasn't good at hiding things. She kept glancing at Peter, and when she said "I'll let him know." the entire class broke into whispers, trying to guess who the 'him' is. This happened at all grades whenever the phone rang.

"Peter, you're leaving. Pack up your things."

Everyone diverted their stares the small boy's way. Flustered, he got out of his seat and got his backpack, trying to be fast but he just stumbled over himself mostly and managed to get out the door. He uttered a goodbye to his teacher, breathless for sure, and rushed out the door. Peter walked down to the lobby to see Pepper waiting on the couch for him. It was a great surprise on Pepper's part, to be honest. The signing out process always felt like the longest part of the entire day. She got him in the car, Happy up front who wasn't adorning his usual scowl and climbed in herself.

"Where are we going?" Peter asked.

"It's a surprise." She held a finger to her lips in a shushing motion. Her eyes were red and swollen, but just by a bit.

"Why?"

"It just is." Pepper sniffled, a smile on her face. Why was she crying but happy? Happy and Pepper spoke in hushed voices as Peter stayed by himself, buckled into the seat tight.

They were obviously going somewhere important since the drive took so long. They pulled up at the military base, the plane landing.

 

* * *

 

  
Three months in a cave really made you miss sunlight. Getting vitamin D was new to Tony. They had mostly cleaned up his wounds and given him a sling- they flew him in a damn wheelchair. Tony Stark didn't need a wheelchair! He was fine. Rhodey, so far, was the only one who knew about the arc reactor. But then again, it was Rhodey, so he probably told Pepper and Happy and- oh god, Peter. Tony needed to see him. He'd lost two sets of parents, and to all he knew, Tony could have been dead. The doors opened and Tony scanned the area. Paramedics rushing on sight, that made Tony recoil. "Get rid of those." He muttered on instinct before he saw what was important.

In front of one of Tony's cars, Pepper was standing there with a clipboard in hand. In the other, she held one smaller than her own.  
Peter was there, he didn't look much grown. It was only three months but it felt like three years away from the people he loved and held dearly. He was in a white and gray sweatshirt with jeans. Peter broke free of Pepper's grasp and dashed towards Tony, the two reuniting. Peter wrapped his arms around his dad's neck, his legs around his waist. Tony kept him close, falling to his knees with Peter in his arms. Peter burst into tears, sobbing. Tony kept his son close. "I'm not going anywhere." He promised, feeling the smaller boy's trembling. Peter kept trying to speak but he kept crying. Pepper came over, crouching next to the two. She rubbed Peter's back, who refused to let go of his dad.

"Let's get you boys in the car, okay?" She asked.

Tony stood up, but his son refused to let go. "Don't go." He whimpered. Tony's heart broke. He brought him to the car and glanced at Pepper. Oh, god, not her too. "Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long lost boss?"

"Tears of joy. I hate job hunting." She smiled. They got into the car. 

"Yeah, vacation's over." Trying to lighten the mood is a lot harder than you'd assume.

Tony sat against the seat and Peter's legs across his lap, gripping his shirt tightly. He was reduced to sniffles and occasional whimpers, not letting Tony out of his grasp. His head was laying on the arc-reactor, which made Tony worry. Did he know about it? By the glances Pepper kept giving him, he assumed not.

"Where to, sir?" Happy asked.

"Take us to the hospital, please-" Pepper started.

"No," Tony said stubbornly. Peter didn't react to anything besides bringing his knees to his chest closer.

"No? Tony- You have to go to the hospital."

"I don't have to do anything. I was in captivity for three months." Peter seemed to deflate with a small whimper that fell on all deaf ears other than Tony's. "There are two things I want to do. I want an American cheeseburger, and the other one-"

"I don't think that's going to happen." Pepper interrupted.

"It's not what you think. I want you to call for a press conference now."

"Call for a press conference? What on Earth for?"

"Yeah, Hogan, drive. Cheeseburger first."

 

* * *

 

 

Peter gripped Pepper's hand as she spoke to the agent, hiding behind her. His dad was home, why wasn't he happy? That wasn't his dad, though. A part of his dad was back in that cave, wasn't it? There was something the adults weren't telling him. Pepper and Happy whispered on the way to the base. But watching him up there again. Working. Saying what happened. It was different. That didn't feel like Peter's dad. He then sat down, and in his opinion, it looked like class. They all sat on the ground cross-legged. Some with their legs together. Adults were always so picky, Peter deducted.

Something kept nagging at him, though. When he lied on Tony's chest, something was under his shirt. Not the usual bullet-armor he always insisted on wearing. And Peter meant always. 

Tony droned on. All Peter could remember was Tony talked about his dad. Peter never knew his- well, grandpa? Was it? His mom just told him all his grandparents passed before he was born. Was his... real grandpa in heaven like all the others? He gave up on asking about heaven. Tony's dad was dead, too, wasn't he?

Everyone erupted into yelling after his dad said something and Obie looked mad. Real mad. Peter clung to Pepper and she put a hand on his shoulder. Obidiah interrupted and walked him out, Peter dashing over. The yelling didn't stop and Peter wanted to go home. Peter kept glancing at Obidiah. He looked really really mad. 

One thing Peter didn't want to tell his dad. Making dinner one night himself, he tried to make mac 'n' cheese. He'd reached for the back of the stove to turn it off and suddenly his hand had hit the side. He burnt himself and let out a scream, his skin bubbling. Peter cried out. Peter wouldn't stop screaming. Obidiah was supposed to be there. But he wasn't. The stove was off and Peter's burn felt like fire surged through it, the pounding pain getting to his head. He fell and sat on the ground for the rest of the night.

Peter didn't tell Pepper, or anyone, about that night.

Peter ran his thumb over the skin. It'd healed, and at some point, his teacher asked about it and he said he wasn't exactly sure about how it had happened. But he was a kid, nobody questioned him further. It'd be a waste of time, right? Peter didn't let of Tony's hand, not wanting him to leave.

"Let's go into the lab before you head home," Obidiah suggested.

"Nope."

"What was that?"

"I've been away for three months. I'm going home. With my son."

Peter looked up at him. They got into the car and Peter hugged his dad, not wanting him to leave. Again. He felt the plate under his dad's shirt, sitting up and reaching for it before Tony swatted at his hand lightly. "I wouldn't touch that, kiddo." Peter went back to just hugging his arm.  
Something was wrong. Something's different. His dad was acting differently. Something happened when his dad was gone.

The nice car rolled gently to a stop, gravel crunching under the expensive vehicle. Peter always said how he liked how it sounded. But it sounded different. Everything was different. Peter's life was different.

The mansion felt different without his dad in it. Dustier. Bigger. Like it'd swallow Peter whole and he'd just disappear into the floor one day and nobody would notice because Obidiah refused to be there with him. Obidiah always wanted to get rid of him. Sometimes Peter questioned why. Was he not good enough? 

Pepper sent Tony to sleep, saying he needed rest. Peter followed suit. He lied with his dad, hugging his arm again. Toeing off his sneakers, Peter tried to relax with his dad. Tony hugged him, sighing.

"Hey, kiddo."

"Mm."

"You're pretty quiet." Tony earned another hum. "Is something bothering you?"

"No. I just don't like Obidiah." 

"Why not?"

"He seems to be mean to you." Peter lied.

"He's not."

"Sorry."

"You're acting like a little snot. What's wrong?" Tony kept trying to coerce the answer out of him. Another hum was all he got before Peter fell asleep, his face in Tony's neck.

The two fell asleep, not getting a lot of speech.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i took so long  
> yell at me on my socials  
> posted w/o preview


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's a bogey. Coming home is never the same

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is sorta jumpy aroundy (u heard me) and its eugh but i tried. sorry it took me so long

Tony was shaken awake and he looked over. His face was poorly illuminated by the arc reactor, glimmering tears on his face. Tony knew Peter was upset and distant with Tony, but he apparently had no idea if it was this bad. "Hey, Pete, what's wrong?"

"Your light's too bright." He whined. "What is that?"

There was a long pause of just silence. Tony hoisted Peter closer. "Okay, okay. It's a long story, all right?" Peter nodded. "I went to a cave for a while. These bad men wanted me to make a weapon. And when they took me, they threw a bomb into the sand." Tony knew it was scaring Peter, but he deserved the truth. He'd been in the dark for three months. He deserved this. Tony kept running his hands through Peter's thick curls. He needed a haircut. "And some shrapnel, little scraps of metal, got into my chest. And this-" He held onto the reactor. "-keeps it away from my heart."

"You have to get it out!" 

"I know, Pete. I will. I promise you." He hugged him. "I missed you."

"How did you get out?" He mumbled, just trying to get him to talk.

"My friend and I made a big suit and I flew out."

"You flew?"

"Yeah. I had flamethrowers."

"That's cool." He hummed. He seemed more relaxed. He rested his ear onto the arc reactor. "I like hearing it." 

"What woke you up?"

"I just had a bad dream."

"About what, kiddo?"

"You'll get mad." He whined.

"I promise I won't ever, Pete."

"One time when Mr. Obidiah was supposed to make me dinner and stay with me he said no and he didn't come home. I tried to be like you and make some myself, an' I burned my hand."

"You burned your hand?" Tony was going to actually kill Obidiah. "Let me see." Peter's hand only had minimal scarring and looked like it'd go away soon. "When was this?"

"Um..." Peter shrugged, not looking at him. "I'm sorry, please don't get mad at him."

"Peter, he was supposed to watch you."

"It's not his fault! Please!" 

"Okay, okay, I won't, okay?" Don't get worked up again, please. Tony hugged Peter close.

"I missed you," Peter admitted.

"I missed you more than anything."

After a few minutes, Peter spoke sleepily. "I like your hair. It's longer." His son was right, his hair was never this long. His curls kept getting in his face. But Tony liked it a little, too. Peter curled up against him, falling asleep after a few minutes.

Tony didn't sleep. He kept thinking. Obidiah? Really? Tony knew he wasn't the biggest fan of Peter, he never wanted to watch him for long periods of time, but... not this far. Peter was hurt because of Obidiah. And whenever the boy jostled or moved in his sleep, it freaked Tony out. It was like the first time they met all over again. He was so careful with him and wanted to just bubble him from the outside world. But Peter was older now, he couldn't do that. Peter was still small and his little kid, but he can't be sheltered like that.

Tony tucked Peter in and went downstairs. His brain needed to tinker. Going to work on the next arc reactor, he kept DUM-E busy, knowing he'd wreck everything if unsupervised. He worked for a few hours, the sun peaking over the horizon. At around 7, JARVIS spoke, "Sir, master Peter is requesting entry."

"Ah, tell him to come on in."

Peter scrambled over, still in his- well, not pajamas, since he'd just kicked off his new shoes and fallen asleep in the clothes he'd worn the day prior. "Dad!"

"Hey!" Tony smiled, lifting him onto the chair to see what he was working on.

"What's this?"

"It's my new reactor. The thing in my chest."

"Why do you need a new one?"

"It could just overall run better, and I, er, used up a lot of its energy getting out of the cave. It's outdated tech."

"Ahhh." Peter nodded, visibly confused. "It's time for me to go to school."

"Pete, you have today off. I'm home, kiddo."

"But-"

"No buts!" Tony swiftly lifted him, making him squeak. "Go shower, you smell like motor oil now!"

" _You_ smell like motor oil!"

"That's probably why!" Tony smiled. Peter seemed back to his bubbly self.

"Can I sit down here with you today?"

"Of course, kiddo."

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Dropping Peter off at school obviously made the adolescent nervous. "You'll be back when- when the day's over?"

"Of course, Peter."

"Promise?" Peter looked up at him, his eyes wide. 

"Promise, I promise."

Peter nodded, still unsure. Tony handed him his watch. He'd steal Jarvis's sometimes when he was a kid, he had no idea why. He tightened it onto Peter's wrist. "There."

"What's this for?"

"So you can feel me there." Peter nodded, more triumphant and got out. Tony made a mental note to make one for Peter, one with a tracker and a way to call Tony if needed. 

He walked into the house, getting his stuff to ready himself to switch the reactors. Pepper didn't have all the fun Tony did, but then again, he almost died from cardiac arrest. Tony worked on the watch, framing it from one of his silver ones. He also worked a little on the new suit. The technology was advanced, and he made it in a cave. He could do this. He was Tony Stark, right?

That weekend, Peter and Tony visited the air base. Peter didn't like all the planes, but he'd outgrown the fear of riding on them. But ones with giant missile launchers on the sides? Apparently not. Peter had been better since Tony got home.

"JARVIS, are you up?"

"For you, sir? Always."

"I'd like to open a new project file, index as Mark 2."

Upstairs, Peter heard a big crash and ran downstairs to see his dad on the ground with something hooked up to his arms and legs, and wired to his chest. He was also covered in the fire extinguisher dust. Peter burst into giggles, just as Tony predicted. Tony got up. "Go on upstairs and make dinner."

"Pepper says we're getting pizza!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! From New York! Is it from Queens?"

"Maybe. Go help Pepper set the table, yeah?"

"Yes sir!" Peter said and went upstairs as asked. Tony kept working and- he got liftoff! The suit came along nicely. Very nice, to be honest. Didn't get blasted into a wall, and only almost set his cars and desk on fire. But that was okay, he was working on it. He was excited to see the final product.

That night, Obidiah came in with pizza just as Peter promised. Tony hadn't addressed the whole Peter situation. Peter sat very close to Tony, scared as he ate his single slice. "Wait," Tony snapped back to focus. "There was a Board of Directors meeting?"

"The Board is claiming you have Post Traumatic Stress. They're filing an injunction."

Peter looked between the two worriedly. "A what?" He piped up. Pepper looked at him and put her finger to her lips. She got up and took Peter to bed, Tony and Obidiah glaring at each other.

"They're gonna lock you out!" Obidiah yelled, suddenly not holding back due to Peter and Pepper leaving.

"Why?! Because the stocks dip 40 points?! We knew this was gonna happen!"

"56 and a half!"

"It doesn't matter!"

"You're going to regret this! You always have such impulse decisions! You're going to fuck up your own life! First, it was the kid, who isn't even fucking related, is he?! And now stopping the weapons?! Our company will fail, Tony!"

"Obidiah, he's my biological son! If you had cared to learn a damned thing about him, you'd know! You didn't even try to be there! Did you see the burn on his hand?! He has a burn mark because you refused to be there for him!"

"Tony-"

"I'll be in the shop!" He snapped. Tony turning and taking the pizza as he stormed downstairs. He kept working, trying to assemble the suit. "JAR, is Pepper putting Pete to bed?"

"She's with him currently, yes."

"Tell him I say goodnight."

"Yes, sir."

Tony's two flight tests (and apparently the fact he needed to learn how to fix the icing) were successful. The next morning, he'd finally finished the watch for Peter, a little screen he could tap. He hoped it'd help with the anxiety and make him feel safer. "PETER!" He called. The boy came down, humming. "I made you something."

"What'd you make?" He chirped, running up. 

"It's a watch. If you press the screen three times and then click the side button, it'll call me and 911. You can tap this button-" There was an icon of Tony from some magazine Pepper seemed to like. "-and it'll call me. Click the one of Pepper and it'll call her, okay? Happy's on there, too, but I doubt you'd need to call him. All for you, buddy."

"Really?"

"Yep. It's also just got the time in it, too." He put it on his wrist. Peter's face lit up. Tony lifted him onto the seat to help him look at his plans.

"What're you making?"

"It's a secret. It'll be powered by my arc reactor."

"Ooooh." Peter chirped, scanning over the plans.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The next few weeks were fine. Tony didn't go to the gala, staying home with Peter. One day he got an email from a semi-familiar name.  
It was pictures of crates with Stark Industry plastered on the side. The body of the letter, which he scanned, was in Gulmira. "JARVIS, is Pepper here?"

"No, sir, she's in a business meeting." 

"Fuck." He hissed. "Call Rhodes."

"Dialing."

"Hey, Tony, what's up?"

"I need you to watch Peter."

"Hello to you, too. Okay, uh, I'm on my way, then."

"Thanks. I won't be home, so go ahead and let yourself in."

"What about-"

"JARVIS, end call. Tell Peter I'm leaving and Rhodey will be here."

"Yes, sir."

Tony suited up and blasted out, pissed and probably too impulsive.

Peter's door was opened and he looked over to Rhodey, who looked in a panic. "Hey, I need to get to the base, you're gonna come with, okay?" Peter nodded and got up, pulling on his shoes and jacket. The two went to the base, Peter looking around. "

Woah." The boy hummed.

"I know. Okay, don't touch anything. It's urgent, so don't interrupt if you can."

"Yes, sir!" Peter chirped, hopping on his toes.

"What the hell was that?" Peter looked around at the screens, some object flying around that grasped his attention. "We got a bogey. Is the CIA on the line?"

"I got them on the line, they wanna know if it's us."

"No, that definitely wasn't us, sir."

"It wasn't navy."

"Wasn't marines."

"I need answers! Can I please get eyes on target?!"

All the yelling confused Peter, slinking back and staying with Rhodey. "Colonel, what's with the Stark kid? Is Stark here?" The main guy yelling asked, who kept glaring at Peter. 

"No-"

"So you're babysitting in my damned airbase?!"

"It was urgent, wasn't it?"

"Colonel, what are we dealing with here?"

"I'm gonna make a call." Rhodey pulled Peter aside, getting on the phone. "It's Rhodes." Peter looked over at the screens, watching the suit. He wasn't paying attention to the phone call until he heard his dad's name, scared. "Why do you sound so out of breath, Tony?" He looked confused.

"Is that my dad?" He whined. He looked over to the screen. The suit looked slightly familiar like he'd seen in his dad's workshop. "Mr. Rhodes?" He looked up at him. "Is that my dad?"

"What?"

"Dad's workshop had those blueprints that looked like that." He pointed to the 'bogey'. Peter tried to remember. He said it'd be powered by his reactor, right? Does that mean-

"Tony, are you sending civilian equipment into my active war zone?!" And there was a pause, Rhodey's eyes widening. Everyone kept yelling, making Peter scared as fuck.

"It looks like... a man!" One of the men shouted. Everyone kept shouting and trying to shoot at his dad's creation. 

"Peter, Pepper's here, go with her," Rhodey told him. Peter looked up to see her in the doorway, not very frantic as everyone else. Peter went with her, who didn't seem very talkative.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Tony landed onto the two pads Tony had set up, the machines starting to peel off the suit from Tony, having some trouble. He fought, trying to get free. "Hey! Ow- ow- ow- hey!"

"Sir, the more you struggle, the more this is going to hurt."

"Be gentle, it's my first time. I designed this to come off. Ow- hey!"

"Please try not to move," JARVIS advised.

The door opened and shut, not gently shut, but someone had let go and let the door slam. It JARVIS was trying to say, making Tony quickly crane his neck back. Pepper stood there, shocked. "What's going on here?!"

"Let's face it, this is not the worst thing you've caught me doing."

"Are those bullet holes?!" She asked, her face whitening. There was scampering down the stairs and Peter came in, rushing up to Pepper.

"I- I knew it! I was right- you were the bogey!" Peter bounced on his toes.

"The bogey?!"

"They tried to hurt you!" Peter cried out. 

"They didn't." He finally got out, lowering to the floor. "How did you know about that?"

"I spent the day with Mr. Rhodey."

"With Rhod-"

"Are you okay?!" Pepper interrupted.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. So, what's for dinner?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yell at me on my socials  
> sorry mates


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betrayal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for hiatus, some shit's going on w my family. i thought this would be the last chapter, but i guess i was wrong. lets see if i can stretch the last ~20 mins of the movie into 2,000 words :0  
> i use a lot of spacings but i want more DRAMA ok

Peter was in the workshop with his dad, building legos on the floor behind him, far away and near the kitchen, as Pepper made him so he was 'safe' when Tony would barely work on anything dangerous near Peter. But after a few months, he realized Peter wasn't made of glass and went back to the usual business.

  
Peter picked up a few snippets of conversation, which he sort of ignored, but wished he didn't in the future. "They've been dealing under the table, I'm gonna stop them. I'm gonna find my weapons and destroy them." 

"Weapons?!" Peter interrupted, making Tony shriek and drop the flash drive in hand. 

" _KidIforgotyouwerebackthere_!" Tony breathed, gripping his arc reactor as he depended on it. Well, he sorta did. 

"Sorry." Peter got up, coming over. "What are you guys talking about? Weapons? I thought you said you were done selling them!"

"I know, kiddo." Tony sighed, lifting him and moving stuff out of the way. "I'll explain in a minute." He turned to Pepper, going over to some case "They've been dealing under the table, I'm gonna stop them. I'm gonna find my weapons and destroy them."

"Tony.." Pepper scolded, glancing at Peter.

"They're my weapons, and I'm gonna get rid of them!" Tony near shouted, exasperated.

"I can't help you if you're going to start all this again." She hissed, trying to keep her voice low.

"There is nothing except this.

There are no art openings, there's no benefit, there's nothing to sign. There's the next mission, and nothing else."

"Well, then, I quit," Pepper announced, straightening her posture.

"You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction. While I raised a son. And now that I'm trying to protect the people that I've put in harm's way, you're going to walk out? When I want to better myself?! I don't want to be having this conversation in front of my kid but you obviously don't leave me a choice!"

"You're gonna get yourself hurt, Tony. I'm not gonna be a part of it."

"I shouldn't be alive... unless it was for a reason. I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just finally know what I have to do. And I know in my heart, that it's right."  
Pepper took the flash drive and turned on her heel, walking out. Peter hopped off the table. "Wait!" He rushed after her. "I wanna go."

"Peter," Both adults hissed, Tony, continuing. "Pepper's going to go do some work for me at the office."

"But I like her office. Please?"

"It'd be a distraction." Tony shook his head.

"No, I promise! I'll sit quietly so she can work!"

"Tony, it should be fine." Pepper's voice was not assured at all, and she didn't even seem confident in her own words. Tony sighed and nodded, the two most important people in Tony's life just leaving the office, and he had wished he'd convinced Peter to stay.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Pepper plugged in the drive, clicking through the files. God, she shouldn't be hacking into the system with the CEO's son sitting on the couch, building a small LEGO set Pepper kept in the office at all times. Pepper always taught Peter to clean up after himself, mostly with the LEGOs since Tony stood on one and cursed like a sailor. Peter learned _lots_ of words that day. Pepper hated when Peter would leave that specific set out in her office since it made the entire room look more 'babyish', as Tony described when he teased her. But he wasn't wrong, it stood out very much. A colorful, saturated toy set against the grays, browns, and golds.

Pepper saw a video file, muttering incoherently under her breath. "What are you up to, Obidiah?"

It played a group of men around one tied in a chair, before the knapsack was torn off the tied man's head, revealing it to be her boss. Tony never wanted to go into details about the capturing, seeming tense whenever the subject was even lightly mentioned. He had a car battery hooked up to his chest, what looked like the original arc reactor Pepper was insistent on keeping. Tony looked dazed and bewildered, and when the men started speaking Arabic. "What's that?" He asked, getting up.

"It's nothing. Keep playing with your LEGOs." She said quickly.

Peter looked as confused as his dad did on screen. She hit 'translate', turning the volume down. _"You did not tell us that the target you paid us to kill was the great Tony Stark. As you can see, Obadiah Stane, your deception and lies will cost you dearly. The price to kill Tony Stark has just gone up."_

"So... what are we going to do about this?" Obidiah announced, making Peter dash behind the desk with a squeak and Pepper gasp. Obidiah walked over to the tray, old whiskey Tony had gotten as a present but never drank. He wanted to stop drinking so badly with Peter around but could never find the exact chance. He'd definitely drank a lot less. "I know what you're going through, Pepper." He gave Pepper a grin that she didn't want, like, or need. "Ah, Tony... he always gets the good stuff, doesn't he?" Obadiah took a long drink, Peter standing next to her, scared. Pepper put on a brave face and let out a shaky sigh, forcing a fake smile on her lips and nodding. Obidiah seemed satisfied and came over, Pepper slowly placing the screen saver on. Peter gripped her arm tight and he sat on the edge of the desk with the alcohol. "I was so happy... when he came home. It was like we got him back from the dead. And now I realize...well, Tony never really did come home, did he?" He asked. Pepper had pondered that a lot, and she knew Peter had as well. But the man continued, staring Pepper in the eyes. She was scared for herself and the boy. Obidiah was always violent. The files were downloading and Peter shuffled the newspaper over her hand. "He left a part of himself in that cave. Breaks my heart."

"Well... He is a complicated person." Pepper hated the fact Obidiah was drinking. He took a long sip, their eye contact never breaking. "He's been through a lot. I think he'll be all right."

"You are a very rare woman. Tony doesn't know how lucky he is. After bringing home a kid, I'm shocked you didn't split. That's rare."

"Thank you. Thanks. I gotta get back there. He's probably expecting me and Peter for dinner." She stood up, taking the boy's shaking hand. She took the newspaper and the drive, keeping Peter close to her. "Is that today's paper?" 

She stopped in her tracks. "Yes."

"Do you mind?" The man strode towards her, uncomfortably close to the two.

"Not at all." She held it out to him, in a very assistant-y way.

"Puzzle." He said with a grin as if making the entire conversation a-okay.

"Of course." 

"Take care, you two." He beckoned her, the two quickly walking away. "Bye, Peter." He called.

"Bye, Mr. Obie." Peter hesitated but answered anyway. Gripping Peter's hand tight and holding the drive in the other, they left. Out of earshot, Peter spoke. "What was that?"

"I had to download something for your dad, and Obidiah didn't want me to, so I had to hide it from him." She whispered, the two going down the stairs.

"Ms. Potts?" An agent spoke, lounging on the chair. Oh, right. Their meeting. "We had an appointment. Did you forget about our appointment?"

"Nope. Right now, come with us. We're gonna have it right now, yep." It definitely made her feel safer. "Walk with me." She beckoned as he got off the chair. "I'm gonna give you the meeting of your life. Your office."

"Ms. Potts, that's very suggestive." The agent joked, sensing her anxiety. "What's going on?" He glanced at Peter.

"It's a long story."

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Tony paced his living room, calling Pepper. Where the hell was his documents? And Peter? He shouldn't have let the two go. God, he was an idiot! What if they got caught? He called Pepper, worried as hell. She picked up, but he didn't answer, his frantic pacing stopping abruptly. "Tony? Tony, are you there?"

No, he wasn't. Tony seized uncontrollably, falling to his knees. He collapsed slowly, his body tensing and locking up. He lied on the ground on his side, unable to move. 

"Breathe. Easy, easy..." Obadiah moved him onto his back, Tony's hands trembling. He held up the _assfucker machine 200_ in front of Tony's eyes. "You remember this one, right? It's a shame the government didn't approve. There are so many applications regarding short-term paralysis." Obadiah looked him straight in the eyes. "Ah, Tony. When I ordered the hit on you, I was worried that I was..." He pulled out some suction metal device, kneeling down. "...killing the golden goose. But, you see..."

He pressed the machine to the reactor, cutting a hole in the shirt he hadn't gotten time to cut yet.

"...it was just fate that you survived it, leaving one last golden egg to give."

The machine keeping Tony alive wavered in front of his eyes. He was totally hopeless. Tony stared his betrayer in the eyes, wanting to slap that smug smile off his face. "You really think that just because you have an idea, it belongs to you? Your father, he helped to give us the atomic bomb. Now, what kind of world would it be today if he was as selfish as you?" With one hearty yank, the energy source was torn from Tony's body, a sharp, painful gasp leaving the man. The attacker studied it in front of Tony's eyes. "Oh, it's beautiful. Ah, Tony... This is your Ninth Symphony." Obadiah sat next to him as if they were pals, having a fun ol' time. "What a masterpiece! Look at that. This is your legacy. The generation of weapons...with this at its heart. The weapons that will help stir the world back on course. With the balance of power in our hands. In the right hands." He pulled out a briefcase specific for the arc. Why had he planned this so intricately? "I wish you could see my prototype. It's not as... not as conservative as yours." He chuckled. "Too bad you had to involve Pepper and Petey in this. I would've preferred that they lived."

You do not get to call him 'Petey'.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Pepper was sitting in Agent Coulson's office, talking to Rhodey in a very panicked voice about what she had just seen, and her worries about the CEO. Peter was just there. He sat in the other chair while Pepper was near tears and Peter gripped the edges of the chairs. Everyone suddenly got up and Peter quickly followed, holding one of her hands. They went to the garage, climbing into a car. Pepper held Peter close, looking worried but not exactly scared.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Tony stumbled out of the elevator. His legs felt like jelly and he couldn't think or see straight. He fell onto the ground, grabbing a care tire and yanking himself forward. He pushed a scooter near the car he had been working on out of the way, gripping onto every end of paneling he could find. The inventor grabbed a box of tools, hoisting himself up. He stared at the hunk of glass, reaching for it but stumbling, grabbing the paper it rested on.

Okay, all he had to do was pull it towards him. 

Tony's jelly limbs slipped, grabbing onto the table as a last resort. His head collided with the ground and he knew that was it.

Tony was never going to see Pepper again. God, Peter would grow up losing another parent. Obadiah would ruin the world the people he loved lived in. Tony was going to die.

  
DUM-E beeped and whirred at Tony softly, holding out the box of glass. Looking up at him, Tony was trying to decipher what was real or his out-of-hand dying daydreams. He latched onto it with a weak hand, looking up at the robot endearingly. He made a mental promise. I won't destroy you next time you break something. But instead of saying it, Tony breathed out a quick, but loving "Good boy."

Tony rolled over and smashed the only nostalgic thing Tony Stark owned.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we stan dum-e  
> also what the fuck, marvel. in the opening of the "stole my heart in a completely non-gay way" scene, tony has no hole in the shirt. close up bust, hole. zoom out. no hole. extract arc. no hole. bust of tony. hole. what the fuck  
> watch the scene its infuriating  
> yell at me on my socials (theyre changed now)  
> insta: sameries  
> insta: tommhollanndd  
> ily


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Destruction, lots of screaming, and lots of Pepper being worried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY GUYS SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG IVE GOT STRESS OF SCHOOL, FRIENDS, AND FAMILY ON MY MIND MANS  
> also its real long because your boi doesnt wanna split it into two chapters. last chapter was supposed to be the last one smh aa last chapter boys  
> i have a tumblr now  
> hope ya enjoy it

Peter walked into the energy room of the big arc reactor, but Peter whined. He liked the one in Tony's chest better. They went towards a bright yellow door and the woman scanned her card. The deep beep denied her entry, and she held it in front of the light for the second time but only to get the same response. "My key isn't working. It's not opening the door."

  
The agent stepped forward and placed something on the lock, Pepper instinctively backing up with Peter behind her. "Wow, what is that? It's like a little device, like a thing that's gonna pick the lock?"

  
"You might wanna take a few steps back." He informed her, Peter following the agents and doing as they did, covering their ears. There was the boom which earned a surprised gasp from Pepper.

"That's the coolest thing I've ever seen!" Peter gasped.

"Not bad, huh?" He winked at Peter. His badge read AGENT COULSON in bold and weary letters, but some letters seemed like they'd been replaced, so he must be important.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"That's the coolest thing I've ever seen," Rhodey said absentmindedly at the suit.

"Not bad, huh?" Tony smirked. "Let's do it." He blasted the dinged up car out of the way. He had to be _dramatic_. Bust through the ceiling, that's the way to go. He positioned himself, turning to Rhodey.

"You need me to do anything else?"

Tony allowed the mask to clasp over his face. "Keep the skies clear." He revved up and took air, going straight through the ceiling with a few mechanic whirs. 

Pepper, I promise. You'll be safe.

Peter... they better not lay a goddamn _finger_ on you.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The group walked down the stairs to a musky door. Peter looked up at the agents. They were all so serious. The main man, Mr. Coulson, pulled out his gun, and so did some of the others. Peter opened his mouth to ask one of the many questions running through his head but decided against it. They were on a stealth mission. Looking around, Pepper's face grew more worrisome. The place was full of mechanic stuff. It was like Tony's corner of the garage, but if it had been abandoned. Wanting nothing more but to curl up with his dad and watch shows Pepper would scold Tony for letting him see, he searched around a bit.

The group stopped at a suit. It looked like the contraption Peter had caught his father in but bigger. "Looks like you were right. He was building a suit."

"I thought it'd be bigger." Pepper murmured, turning and looking around. Agent Coulson jumped the bar and Peter followed but climbing underneath instead of jumping it. He might be growing, but he would have totally flatted himself like a pancake. 

The entire demeanor of the room was dark and musky, freaking Peter out a little. The place was so poorly lit. Peter followed, making gun formations with his hands. He wanted to be a secret agent when he grew up, for sure.

There was a creak, whirs, and Pepper's scream. That sure got everyone's attention. One of the agents that had followed Peter and Mr. Coulson grabbed the boy's arm, keeping him back. Pepper ran towards them, a huge machine coming out of the shadows.

It was silver, gigantic, and looked destructive. It smashed the wall near Peter, and he scrambled out of the way. Pepper darted towards the door, the barbarian following. Peter screamed, climbing onto the structure and dashing after her. They got out of the door as the room blew up in flames. The door was just too big for the contraption as it tried to grab one of them, before grabbing Peter's leg. Pepper grabbed him under the arms and kicked at him before the hunk of metal swatted away, just tearing the bottom half of Peter's pant leg and nearly taking his shoe with him. They rushed up the stairs, getting outside. Pepper was on the phone.

"Tony?! Tony, are you okay?!" She asked, holding Peter's hand tightly as if he'd fly away. "Obadiah- he's gone insane! He built a suit!" The ground behind the two rumbled before bursting. The two backed up, Pepper shielding the young Stark.

The ironmonger shook off the dirt, climbing out of the basement. The menacing eyes brought out nothing but fear in Peter. It slammed its foot onto the concrete, hoisting itself out of the muck. Towering over the two, it spoke in a low menacing voice. "Where do you think you're going?" It curled its claws into a fist, quirking its head. It took a step towards the two, Pepper screaming and backing up quickly. It aimed its rocket. "Your services are no longer required." This was it. Peter was going to die- so was Pepper. Pepper was such a strong woman, she didn't deserve this!

"Stane!" A familiar voice shouted, pummelling the giant into the wall. They crashed through, going onto the highway. 

Note to self, never build anything Stark related near roads. 

Traffic was intervened, a car going straight over Obadiah's fucking creation. Cars crashed, and hopefully, it was small enough to be fixed by insurance. A car rushed towards the two, a family. It stopped just in time, but it distracted Obadiah which made Tony curse. Obadiah grabbed the car, lifting it. 

Tony _refused_ to let anyone else die because of his actions.

"Love this suit!" Obadiah called as if he was lifting weights. The screams were going to haunt Tony.

"Put them down!"

"Collateral damage, Tony."

Tony revved to blast him, but the light from his palms wouldn't do enough. "Divert power to chest RT." The beam hit the suit square in the middle, making him fly back. Stepping forwards and trying to catch the family, Tony was panicking. Tony grasped the sides, trying to be careful. The family looked so scared. A mother and four kids. They all had lives to live. 

"Power reduced to 19%." _Shit_. Tony bit back his curse, trying to set the car down without dropping it. _Five lives at stake, Stark. You got this._ His leg gave out, kneeling now. _Shit, shit!_ He heard the tires rev, and Tony panicked and set it down.

  
Oh, okay, Tony was being run over.

"Lady!" Tony shouted. His fingers started to tear into the car's bumper, giving out. "No, no no no no!" He slid under the car. That would leave a mark. His chest piece got caught on the contraption, and he tried to get himself off before he completely ruined the suit. He lifted up the car, flying out from underneath.

Pounding footsteps shook the ground. Looking over, he saw Obadiah in the goddamn air. So that giant spikey contraption had flight, too?

A man's scream followed a motorbike running between the two. Tony winced when the bike was grabbed and he flew off. Obadiah didn't care about life or death, that was for sure. He thwacked Tony with the bike like it was a newspaper and Tony was a cockroach on a countertop. He flew through the air, hitting a car before the ground. A bus was honking, people clambering off and screaming. 

Tony was sick of people being in danger because of him. The monster grabbed Tony, lifting him above his head. "For 30 years, I've been holding you up!" Oh, now he was being squished like the cockroach analogy earlier, huh. "I built this company from nothing!" The voice sounded like it needed water or a lozenge. It was deep and it had that annoying sound as if the speaker needed a good cough. God, Tony hated that. It lifted it's foot and Tony rolled over, but not fast enough because its claws dug underneath his back piece, lifting him and throwing him into a bus. "Nothing is going to stand in my way." 

Tony opened his eyes to see a missile coming at his face. "Least of all you." Tony couldn't die. He had to see Pepper nag at him at least one more time, he had to see Peter graduate, he had a whole list of things he needed to do- 

_Come on, Tony! You're a fucking Stark!_

Regaining focus, he caught himself midair with his repulsors. He stumbled a bit but stayed in the air. "Impressive! You've upgraded your armor! I've made some upgrades of my own!" It growled. Not he, it. The light came from its feet, managing to get that thousand-pound-thing off the ground. 

"Sir, it appears that his suit can fly." 

"Duly noted." To be honest, Tony had forgotten JARVIS was there. "Take me to maximum altitude." Tony had an idea.

"With only 15% power, the odds of reaching that-"

"I know the math! Do it!" Tony shouted at the AI.

 

Peter watched his dad disappear into the clouds. What if he didn't come back?

 

"13% power, sir."

"Climb!" Tony gasped.

"11%." JARVIS seemed a lot less panicked than Tony.

"Keep going!"

"7% power." He felt his chest piece flickering.

"Just leave it on the screen, stop telling me!" 

The claws got its hand on Tony's leg, but he could hear the ice cracking. It was working. He tried to break free but the claws were now around his throat.

"You had a great idea Tony, but my suit is more advanced in every way!"

"How'd you solve the icing problem?" Tony snarked, not struggling anymore.

"Icing problem?" Obadiah's voice wasn't so threatening anymore, and the suit looked a lot less powerful as the lights flickered out.

"Might want to look into it." Tony snarled, banging his fist into his former coworker's head. The power let go, Obadiah falling back to the city.

Tony stayed, hesitating. He hoped that he'd finished him. That Obadiah's suit was broken.

"2%," JARVIS said duly, snapping Tony out of his daze.

"Woah!" He shouted, falling. The power flickered and he tried not to fall as fast as the other. The power cut off a few times, steadily lowering Tony.

Okay, steady was a loose term.

"We are now running on emergency backup power."

Tony tried to land on the roof steadily but he burst through a fence and fell. _Real smooth, Anthony._ "Potts."

"Tony!" She gasped. "Oh my god, are you okay?!"

"I'm almost out of power. I gotta get out of this thing. I'll be right there." Starting to take off his gloves, he unhinged his mask and it flew up just in time for something to land behind him. The mask lowered automatically.

"Nice try!" Tony ducked quickly, holding up his dominant hand to blast away. At shock, he realized he was an idiot. Thrown back, Tony tried to not fly off the roof. He used the one glove he had on to get in the air, throwing himself onto the machine. It wrapped its arms around Tony, grabbing him. Way to be the creepy uncle, Obadiah! Tony thought before realized he was being squished. Steam came from his suit.

"Weapon status?" He choked out.

"Repulsors offline. Missiles offline."

In last resort, Tony yelled. "Flares!" Tony had implemented this partly as a party trick, and he soon became a walking firework. But it got him out, and he got as far as he could.

Steam flowed around Obadiah as if he was a god. "Very clever, Tony." He searched for Tony, hiding behind the corner as he would with Jarvis when they played hide-and-seek.

"Potts?" 

"Tony!"

"This isn't working. We're going to have to overload the reactor and blast the roof."

"Well, how are you going to do that?"

"You two going to do it. Go to the central console, open up all the circuits. When I get clear of the roof, I'll let you know. You're going to hit the master bypass button. It's going to fry everything up here."

 

Peter followed Pepper, walking carefully over the crunching glass. "Okay, I'm going in now." She sounded so scared. Peter had heard most of the instructions, being careful not to embed any glass into his exposed leg. The two rushed in, turning everything on. Peter did the lower ones, Pepper the top.

The child heard screaming on the roof, making him more scared than he was. His small form trembled, mostly his hands. Peter didn't know what half the buttons did, but he pressed all of them. He heard a clang of glass and metal and saw his dad. Peter felt some relief, but Tony looked scared.

Tony wasn't scared of things. Or so he thought.

"You finally outdid yourself, Tony!" Peter scowled. "You'd have made your father proud!"

"It's ready, Tony, get off the roof!" Bullets ricocheted everywhere, but his dad was smart. Glass broke, Pepper letting out a scream and covering her head. Peter ducked under the counter. Glass fell like rain, crashing and cracking and flying everywhere.

"Tony!" Pepper yelled.

"How ironic, Tony! Trying to rid the world of weapons, you gave it its best one ever!"

"Pepper!" Tony yelled.

"And now I'm going to kill you with it!"

"No!" Peter screamed, coming out from under the counter to see what was going on. He saw the missile fly, and thankfully, miss his dad.

"You ripped out my targeting system!"

"Time to hit the button!" Tony yelled in a slightly panicked tone.

"You told me not to!"

"Hold still, you little prick!"

"Just do it!" Tony yelled, kicking his feet.

"You'll die!"

Tony let go, holding himself up with one hand. "Push it!" He roared. Pepper did so, and Peter ducked under the counter with a scream as electricity crackled through the air, making his hair stand up a little. The roar bubbled through the air, flying around. 

All Peter heard was crackling and Obadiah's yells. It stopped, but then the creature tumbled down to the reactor. The explosion caught everything on fire, and Peter quickly chased after where Pepper went. She grabbed him close, making sure his clothing hadn't attracted any flames.  
There was silence as the fire crackled. 

"Dad!" Peter cried out.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Peter sat in the swivel chair, spinning as he watched Rhodey give his speech on TV when the chair briefly faced it.

"Peter, you're going to make yourself sick."

"Nuh-uh! No, I won't!"

"You can swivel after the meeting, kiddo." His dad smiled as Pepper put makeup on him.

"Why does dad get to wear makeup?" Peter asked.

"Because he's going to go talk to all those people. He's in trouble."

"'Iron Man'." Tony ignored the comment. "That's kind of catchy. It's got a nice ring to it. I mean, it's not technically accurate. The suit's a gold-titanium alloy, but it's kind of evocative, the imagery, anyway."

"Here's your alibi." The agent came up. Peter grinned at him.

"Okay," Tony asked, suspicious as he looked over the cards.

"Alibi?" Peter asked, but was disregarded.

"You were on your yacht with Peter."

"Yeah."

"We have port papers that put you in Avalon all night and sworn statements from 50 of your guests."

"See, I'm thinking maybe we should say it was just Pepper, Peter, and I. Alone on the island. And maybe a babysitter." Tony winked at his assistant.

"That's what happened."

"All right."

"Just read it, word for word."

"Wait, why does Dad have to lie?" Peter interrupted. He had to get in the stupid white shirt and he had to do his hair with this gel stuff that made it clumpy just to listen to his dad lie?! "Why can't he just say the truth? He was there! He's Iron Man!"

"Peter, sometimes if you're like your dad, you have to lie." Pepper informed him.

"There's nothing about Stane here."

"That's being handled. He's on vacation. Small aircraft have such a poor safety record."

"But what about the whole cover story with the bodyguard?"

"Bodyguard?!" Peter asked, enraged. He was, of course, ignored.

"He's my- I mean, is that- that's kind of flimsy, don't you think?"

"This isn't my first rodeo, Mr. Stark. Just stick to the official statement, and soon, this will be all behind you. You've got 90 seconds."

Pepper went off to speak with him and Peter hopped up, coming over. Tony lifted him onto the chair, Peter reading the cards. "This is stupid."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Tony mumbled. Peter rested his head on his dad's shoulder.

"Let's get this show on the road." Tony stood up, leaving Peter in the chair.

"You know, it's actually not that bad. Even I don't think I'm Iron Man."

"You're not Iron Man."

"Am so." His dad bantered. Peter smiled.

"You're not."

"All right, suit yourself. You know, If I were Iron Man, I'd have this girlfriend and this cool son who knew my true identity-"

"Girlfriend?!" Peter gasped.

"-she'd be a wreck, 'cause she'd always be worrying that I was gonna die, yet so proud of the man I'd become. She'd be wildly conflicted, which would only make her more..." Tony cleared his throat. "...Crazy about me."

"That's not exactly appropriate to say in front of your child." She said matter-of-factly. She stuffed a pocket square in. "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?"  
"Yes, that will be all, Miss Potts."

Peter stood next to Pepper, watching his dad speak. "There's speculation that I was involved in the events that occurred on the freeway and a rooftop-"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark-" Some lady interrupted. "-but do you honestly expect us to believe that that was a bodyguard in a suit, that conveniently appeared, despite the fact that you-"

"I know it's confusing. It is one thing to question the official story, and another thing entirely to make wild accusations or insinuate that I'm a superhero."

"He is a superhero." Peter interrupted.

"I never said you were a superhero." The lady continued.

"Didn't? Well, good, because that would be outlandish, and, uh... fantastic."

"Oh, Tony." Pepper sighed.

"I'm just not the hero type, clearly. With this laundry list of character defects, all the mistakes I've made... largely public." Rhodey leaned over and whispered something, making Tony pick up the cards. "The truth is..."

"I am Iron Man."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for reading for so long!! there will be im2, im3, avengers1, and maybe further? idek, depends on if yall like it.  
> leave comments  
> socials boys!!!
> 
> mains:  
> ig: sameries  
> twot: samisdumbthanks  
> tumblr: sam-uurrii
> 
> sides:  
> ig: tommhollanndd  
> tumblr: sameries

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Idk when the new chapter will be out, I'm trying to make them longer, since my older ones had just 1,000 words, I'm trying to push myself to do 2,000.  
> Should I make them longer or shorter?  
> Leave a comment, they fuel my writing basically


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